Big Rock Urban Brewery

Rank in Vancouver: 20th place (out of 25)
Rank in Metro Vancouver: 40th place (out of 48)
Rank in Southwest B.C.: 64th place (out of 77)

“Why didn’t you review Big Rock?!?” you asked when we did the inaugural version of these reviews, vast internet hordes demanding we include the Vancouver outpost of Alberta’s most ubiquitous brewery, a cavernous building at West 4th and (ironically) Alberta Street.

Okay, there were like, five of you asking. And while we originally didn’t include Big Rock because we wanted every brewery to have an identifiable B.C. connection, it does produce some unique beers in this location, and there’s no harm in being (even more) completionist in this project, so, okay, fine Big Rock.

And the review is … I mean, look, it’s Big Rock. What are you expecting?

It’s the Granville Island Brewing of Alberta: a place that produces beers somewhat better and certainly more diverse than your big-brand conglomerate, which was good enough for you to give them plenty of cash in 2009, but it’s not 2009 anymore and there’s so many more interesting options less than a kilometre away from you and seriously what compelled you to go there, were you in a group of twenty and couldn’t get into any other space, or was this a bet with an Albertan gone bad?

But we digress. The beers are acceptable (the Midnight Rhapsody dark ale is surprisingly funky for a brewpub), the options are fine enough, the food portions are good and the space, while lacking in charm or light, is multi-purpose enough to be workable, with a solid happy hour.

None of that is a reason to go to Big Rock. It’s adequate, but there are dozens and dozens and dozens of other places you could grab a drink at which are better. And you’d be supporting a small B.C. business, to boot.